Canvas & Table - Encouraging women to live life well.

Encouraging women to live life well.

Menu

Skip to content
  • About Us
  • Archives
  • Printables
  • Wellness
  • What We Do
  • Contact

Tag Archives: play

Why We Went “Screen-Free” + 5 Mess-Free Toddler Activities

4 / 7 / 174 / 5 / 17

Today I (Laurel) am delighted to introduce you to my dear friend (and neighbor), Jennifer.  We gave birth to our sons just two weeks apart from each other and have spent a lot of time in the past two years sharing the joys, challenges, and victories that come from motherhood.  I appreciate Jen’s intentionality with her son Isaac.  She loves him well and pours everything into his rearing.  Enjoy this post from her on the topic of screen-free parenting!  

It had been a rough day at our house. We had a string of them, leaving me feeling like a failure and often yelling at my son. He was barely two and the defiance was out of control. Nothing worked, nothing. That day he was finally asleep, and I lay beside him, tears pooling in my eyes. “I am the adult here,” I thought to myself. “I am the one in charge of setting the tone of our relationship.” We struggled over everything – even controlled choices were a problem. What had changed? I thought back over our previous couple of weeks…the weather had turned, cold but not freezing however, chilly enough to make me want to stay inside. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks: screen time. As Isaac, my son, had gotten older, he showed greater interest in my iPad. I even bought some apps specifically for him and he played them – he played them a lot. Not only that, we had started watching a movie every morning instead of taking a walk, and it was truly a little kids movie, we watched “Despicable Me”. Then as the days inside got longer, we watched it more than once..twice…three times.

Let me explain: My husband and I are in this alone. Our families are spread out over several states and our parents are far away. I needed to get things done around the house, I needed to cook, and I needed some chill time. We have wonderful friends, yes, but they have lives too – with their children, jobs, and home. Enter the all powerful screen. Hello, babysitter.

Later that same evening, I was talking with my husband, who was also not enjoying the new struggle we had on our hands, and I gave him my theory. “It’s the screen time,” I said. “It needs to end.” He agreed. People, we went cold turkey. The next morning, Isaac asked for his movie. “Maybe later,” I responded brightly. “Let’s paint instead!” And that was the beginning. We painted, we played Play doh, we colored with markers, crayons, chalk. We built blocks, we built legos, we built a train track and ran the train. And every time he asked for the movie, I said “Maybe later!” and distracted him with the next activity. (He never thought to ask for the iPad, it was out of sight and therefore, out of mind.) We braved the cold and went on a nature walk.

My house was a wreck that day but it was worth it. However, since I wanted to have a cleaner, more tidy home AND cook fresh meals AND play with Isaac, I knew something would have to change. Thus began my search for quick, easy, mess free toddler activities.

After only two days of zero screen time we had a whole new child. Was he still defiant, yes, he’s two. But it was manageable. I was highly encouraged and I really believe my son was much happier. He still asked for his movie and I still said “Maybe later” and the iPad was still hidden and really, nothing suffered that terribly. I still cooked and tidied. Although, full disclaimer: I had declared that if anything was going get lost in the chaos it would be the “clean and tidy home” and my husband agreed fully. And, yes, some things get lost in the mix. I’m learning to be ok with that. More importantly, to me at least, was that I learned I didn’t need the screen to be a babysitter all the time and all the activities do not have to be high prep, messy fun. Here’s five low prep, mess free, toddler approved (and even older babies would enjoy some of these) activities that call for supplies you likely have on hand or are super cheap and easy to get.
1. Coffee tree mug and craft rings. This looks so cool, it’s hard to believe it is so simple. Take the rings off and put them on. That’s it. Isaac got bored with using his hands so he showed me how he uses his TOES to do it.
2. Thin spatula, muffin tin, and blocks. Dump out the blocks in a pile, set the muffin tin nearby and use the spatula (make sure it is thin enough to get under the blocks) to lift a block, carry it to the tin and put in one of the cup. Repeat. I thought this was so dumb, that Isaac would not be interested. I didn’t tell Isaac I was setting this one up, I just did it as he was playing with something else. He watched me and I could not believe how his eyes lit up with interest.3. Pipe cleaners and kitchen colander. Poke the pipe cleaners into the holes. Again, I figured he’d get bored. Nope.4. Drinking straw and craft puffs. Spread out some craft puffs (small to medium, so not for littles who still put everything in their mouths) and power the straw with your breath to move the puff. Feeling extra crafty? Make a very easy map or color wheel to have your toddler blow the puffs (put it on green! Now blue!).5. Dot stickers and construction (or any colored) paper. I keep this in my church bag. Get a couple packs of fun colored dot stickers, the kind you’d use for marking prices on garage sale items, and matching colors of paper. By matching, I mean color, not shade. Have your toddler sort stickers by putting the blue sticker on the blue paper, the yellow on the yellow and so forth. (Side note: I ran out of the dot kind, and evidently, so did the store. So, I got rectangles and I cut them to smaller sizes.)

And a bonus mess free activity? Get them outside. Take a walk and go at their pace. Little people are discovering the world and it’s a wonderful way to slow down and see the world from their perspective.

The reality is that we do not live in a screen free world. But if you choose to dramatically limit your children’s screen time, you are not alone. There’s quite a bit being written about the negative effects of screens on developing minds and very little about how good screen time is –including so called “educational apps”. However, there are still times when I don’t hesitate to hand over my iPad in the name of peace (long grocery store line, anyone?) however it’s a genuinely rare occasion these days. It’s been a wonderful change in our home. I highly encourage everyone to set their screens down and unplug for a bit. I very much doubt anyone would end up regretting time spent without a screen.

Going screen free in a screen heavy world can be daunting, but it’s like Robert Frost penned in his poem :
“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”

A daughter of the King, Jennifer Gonzales is a librarian turned stay at home mom. She spends her days playing with her young son, drinking chai, and trying complicated recipes from Pinterest. Occasionally, she writes blog posts for her family blog, Heart Prints. Psalm 113 

2 Comments
Share

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)

Filling Up Your Toddler’s Love Tank

7 / 24 / 15

Filling Up Your Toddler's Love Tank
Several summers ago I was asked to help with a local church’s childcare program. It sounded like a good opportunity, so I took them up on it. When they asked if I had an age group preference, I knew exactly where I wanted to be – right in the thick of the 2-4 year olds! I love those ages!

Fast forward a bit and you’ll find me with my very own toddler! You know what? I am more in love with this age than ever before. Earlier this year, my little boy became a big brother. The fun has multiplied times two – and so has the challenge of making my toddler feel loved and special.

In my vast mommy-of-a-toddler experience (he’s two), I have found 7 things that speak volumes of affection to my little guy. I love watching his eyes light up, his personality come out, and his love tank fill up as we do these things together…

Seven Ways to Fill Your Toddler’s Love Tank….

  1. Talk with them. Take time to hear what they’re thinking, what’s bothering them, their little bits of baby wisdom, their funny sayings, and their sweet “I luff yous”.  
  2. Look them in the eye. Those beautiful, sparkling eyes are full of adventure and admiration. Soak it in. Connect with them through eye contact! (Side note: Please don’t expect your children to look you in the eye when you’re speaking if you do not first practice this common courtesy with them.)
  3. Smile. You’ll likely receive a awfully sweet smile in return, too!
  4. Slow down. Take time to walk at their pace – little legs can’t cover as much ground as you can. Take time to explore – little eyes and hands are so curious. Take time to help them understand – little minds are so eager to learn.  
  5. Have a reading marathon. When my second son was born, my toddler and I both loved snuggling up with the new baby and reading book after book. My favorite memory is the Dr. Seuss marathon we had together. We both had so, so much fun and Big Brother’s love tank was full to the brim, even with the constant demands of a new baby.
  6. Play with them. Enjoy their little world! Find out what things fascinate them (right now, my toddler is all about wheels!).  Foster creativity and imagination.
  7. Take them on a date. This really doesn’t have to be anything fancy. The one-on-one time is what I’m after here. My little guy still talks about our last date – a quick trip to the pet store to pick up a few things for the dog.  

Toddlers are special people with big, deep feelings.  Leave a comment and tell us the ways you fill your child’s love tank!

Leave a comment
Share

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)

Recent Posts

  • We Tried Whole30 – Here’s What We Thought
  • Why You Should Wear All the Babies
  • Why We Went “Screen-Free” + 5 Mess-Free Toddler Activities
  • Life in a Pressure Cooker
  • How To Stop Life From Happening To Your Good Intentions

STAY INSPIRED!

Enter your email address to receive notifications of new posts from Canvas & Table.

Facebook

Facebook

Instagram

Load More
Something is wrong. Response takes too long or there is JS error. Press Ctrl+Shift+J or Cmd+Shift+J on a Mac.

Pinterest

Twitter

My Tweets

Categories

Archives

  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
Site made with ♥ by Angie Makes
Angie Makes Feminine WordPress Themes

Stay Inspired!

Enter your email address to receive notifications of new posts from Canvas & Table.